The last few days.

The last week or so here has been really relaxing. Casey has been finishing up his studies meaning that he as at school most of the day and I at the apartment where I work on my J-Term reading and paper. I also get to hang out with the family cat, Sonya. Our relationship is kind of on a downward slope as of today. I locked her in my room all last night and ignored her while she bounced off the walls trying to find an exit. I was trying to sleep. I see that me actions have some with grave consequences: She has yet to make eye contact with me today and of the 80 times I have tried to pet her she has swatted at my hand… I am not sure how long it will last either, hopefully she is not too big of a ‘grudge holder.’ I miss you Sonya!

But! on a happier note; the books are very interesting and I recommend everyone purchase one of them, which is titled: ‘Days of Grace,’ written by Arthur Ashe. Its is like an autobiography, in which Ashe looked at major issues of the times (the book was published in 1993), all while telling the story of his amazing struggle with heart disease, HIV and AIDS and how he fulfilled his dreams off the tennis court. A truly compelling story, left me in tears by the last page.

The other book I am less interested in. It is titled, ‘Living a life that Counts,’ and okay yeah I am all for someone trying to give advice on how to be happy in the world while creating a relationship with the guy upstairs, this one is a little to “lordy,” if you catch my drift.

What else has happened since my last entry? Casey and his class had their last day of classes on Friday. After classes they had a gathering where they talked about the semester, drank tea and ate блины “blini” (crusty bread stuffed; in this case with cabbage, although they can be stuffed with a variety of things)as well as other things. Well, Casey had told me to meet him at the university and then we were going to go look for theater tickets. So, I arrived at the university, promptly at 4:30 when he told me they wold be finished. When I walked in through the doors the security guard stopped me and asked for my documents to make sure that I was a student. This is routine for them, but also my first time being stopped by an authority figure in Russia. That said I was a little nervous. I of course don’t have the proper documents for a student either because I don’t begin my studies in Irkutsk until next semester. Therefore, I had to explain that I was visiting a friends who is a student here with Middlebury and that I would be coming next semester to study, I was simply “checking out Irkutsk.” Thank Jesus he believed/understood me. I was sweating bullets the entire 5 minutes I was standing in the security office. After that episode I called Casey because he was supposed to have met me outside the university, but he was nowhere to be found, therefore causing the entire scene with the security guard. His phone was turned, meaning he was still with his professors and peers. After scaling the entire building, twice, I sent a few frustrated text messages and retired to a bench where others were sitting and idly chit-chatting about weekend plans. After about 20 minutes and 4 text messages later one of the professors, Olga Vladimirovna came out through a door right in front of me, go figure. She looked at me, we made eye contact, I smiled, she smiled, she kept going. I wanted to follow her but it felt awkward so I went back to staring in all directions again. Seconds later she was in front of me again. “Are you waiting?” she asked, “Yes.” I said. “Come with me! we are in here,” she proclaimed “I couldn’t possibly! I wasn’t invited…” I said. “Oh! don’t be silly, they will be delighted to see you!” So I followed her into the student cafe through another door into a private room where everyone was sitting.

As the door opened all eyes fell on me… Olga Vladimirovna introduced me to the professors, with whom I had not yet been acquainted: 2 women and a man, who left the second I sat down. I forgot his name but he is the professor of Baikal Studies, which I am told is the most boring of all the classes that are possible to take. The people who tell me this always say, “I have nothing against him as a person, I just hate the class.” I guess that means it wasn’t that big of a deal not meeting him formally, because that class was last on my list. The other 2 women were very friendly. One was a grammar professor, which, if you go to Casey’s blog, which I recommend you all read anyway; www.nrussia.wordpress.com, you can find many outrageous quotes from said grammar professor, Irina Meletivna. She’s a piece of work I hear. Next semester is going to be AWESOME. The other woman was a pretty, tall, skinny professor of history. I am hopefully going to be taking my mainstream course (a course with other Russians, i.e. trough the university and not Middlebury) in the history department. One of my other courses through Middlebury is going to be Siberian History, which Elena Nikaloyevna, just mentioned professor teaches. She also seemed very pleasant. They asked me a little bit about where I am from and how I was enjoying Irkutsk. We also got on the discussion of tennis, somehow and get this Dad! There is tennis team at the university, and I will be playing on it! Yeah, pretty frickin’ sweet I know.

Anyway, soon after I arrived the celebration came to a close. We took a few pictures together, which really made me feel welcome. Russians are really good at that. Moral of this story; next semester is going to rock!

Party like a Russian.

I forgot to talk about one of the first couple of days I was here; Casey’s German and Russian friends invited us to a going away party for one of the girls from Germany. It was at this little club not far from the university. There were about 20 people I would say. We all ordered food and drinks, danced and had great conversations, none of which I remember. There was also plenty of toasting going on, a new and fun experience, but sadly contributed to my lack of memory. 6 of us shared about 2 bottles of vodka, and that may seem like a lot, but I am proud to say, even though people who were there may disagree, I never really felt drunk the entire time, just slightly more emotional…

The walk to the bus stop was HILARIOUS. Ice removal is not a large priority of the city bureau of Irkutsk, so you can imagine how fun it must have been to be tipsy and ice skating at the same time.

Speaking of ice skating, Tatiana Eduardovna (Mama while in Irkutsk), for about the entire first week I was here, complained that my footwear was not of high enough quality for an Irkutsk winter/icy sidewalks. We argued/engaged in friendly disagreements that my shoes were fine/not even close to fine and warm/horrible for cold weather and that I had warm socks/socks that one would play sports in to go along with them. With the start of week 2, I got tired of her not believing me that I was warm enough when I walked outside, so, I bought some Russian boots. Very stylish I might add, to go along with the warm fur that makes my feet feel amazing while walking. The only problem is that they have absolutely no traction, so everyday is an ice skating day. I am really regretting not staying in hockey longer. I have fallen to the ground, hard, multiple times, much to the enjoyment of Casey and friends, but at the expense of my bum and dignity.

The Fam-damly.

Let us talk about my host family a little bit, for they are some classy people. Tatiana, as I said before is the ‘Big Mama.’ She is SO cool. She has superpowers I am convinced. For example; when I had to get registered, as everyone who lives in Russia must do, Casey, Tatiana and I walked from her work to the Post Office where the registering is done. When we arrived with about 10 minutes left before closing time there was a line of about 15 people. To me this meant that today I was probably not going to get registered and as a result get in trouble with the government because it was my last day to get registered and as a result of that have something terrible happen. But have no fear! Tatiana was there, and just so happened to be friends with one of the post office ladies. Walking to the front of the line to her friend and explaining our situation, we automatically became more important that everyone else. Casey and I stood and watched in amazement. Everyone was kind of pissed to say the least, but she shrugged off any sense of anathema. I guess this is just an example of how things work in Russia, but it was still pretty bad ass, you had to have seen the look on everyone’s faces!

Maria or Masha for short is the daughter. She works with Tatiana and goes to tons of sociological conferences all over town. She is even going to be traveling to Sitka in the summer to attend one of these conferences. I have been telling her lots about Alaska, she seems pretty excited.

Evgenii, the father is not home at all it seems. He leaves very early in the morning to go to work, and comes home and goes in his room to watch TV. That said I haven’t had much interaction with him, Although, one morning I was up especially early for some reason and he asked if I would like to have tea with him. Of course I accepted as to hopefully find out more about this mysterious individual. Turns out he loves fishing and hunting. I told him about fishing in Alaska as best I could. He is, in my point of view an avid fisherman and could keep up with Todd even.

The Grinch who stole Christmas.

What else is there to say? Oh! The holiday season is also upon us, and even though I am in a different country I am having absolutely no trouble at all finding the holiday spirit, thanks to Casey.

Christmas as an American in Russia is a more difficult task because Russians celebrate Christmas on January 7, unlike our December 25. This is a result of Peter the Great changing to the Gregorian Calendar back in the 18th Century, as well as from their atheism in general.

Well Casey, God bless his soul has taken it upon himself to save Christmas for us. I am glad that he is doing it and all, don’t get me wrong, I mean, Christmas is my favorite time of year, but it is getting a little out of hand. Let me explain: There are snowflakes everywhere, he made a christmas tree out of graph-paper and a pencil and even added a red star to add a soviet feel, there are 4 stockings hanging and only 2 of us I don’t think Russians use stockings…, there are tons of presents and again only 2 of us, like, it looks like there is a family of 40 with all the presents we have, and this is the icing on the cake; he made a nativity scene out of a box, which his mother sent gifts in. Joseph, Mary and the Shepherds are candy wrappers and I am scared to see what Jesus and his manger will be made from. On top of all this madness, the Christmas music he forces me to play every second of every minute that I am on the computer (his is the only one with internet) and his insinuations that I am a Grinch when too much time has gone by without a Christmas song are, well, okay, he just loves Christmas. I guess I just have to deal with it. Uh huh! Yeah! I just put on a Christmas song, and it wasn’t Christmassy enough for him. Who doesn’t LOVE the twangy voice of Emmylou Harris? He just told me he is going to shoot me.

As you can all see; Christmas in Russia is getting on just fine . But, of course there is a part of me that wishes I was at home with the family. Going to mass with Grandpa John, Todd having to sit as far away from Mom as possible, getting home from mass and listening to Todd beg to open just one present early, waking up early to drag Todd out of bed, waiting an hour for him to un-crust his eyeballs so we can go wake Mom up and piss Dad off for “always waking up WAY to @$^@!%@ early on Christmas Day!” Opening presents, getting ready and leaving for Grandma and Grandpa’s, the amazing dinner, seeing the aunts and uncles and cousins, more presents, always being the last family to leave…these are a few of my favorite things. Oh, which reminds me, I watched ‘The Sound of Music’ for the first time last night. I have fallen in love with Julie Andrews. Anyway, I love you all so much, and hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and New Years back in the States. Sing a carol or two for me.

Ry.

Around Irkutsk

Russia is simply fascinating. Not amazing in the good sense, but not bad, well not especially bad, just fascinating.

Tour

When I last left you all, Casey and I were preparing to go out for a tour around Irkutsk with the other students from Middlebury and our Residential Coordinator, Elizabeth. The tour around the city was very interesting. Casey and I left the house around 1:30 pm in order to make it to the tour guide by 2. It was also one of the coldest days it had been so far during my visit and the wind was blowing especially hard, making walking for 20 minutes through the city center after getting off the bus a little uncomfortable.

We finally arrived at the tour office, freezing. We were quickly offered tea and candy and a seat, to warm up before we left on the tour, which was, thank God in a van. First there was a little presentation on an artist and his works that were hanging up in the office, which I guess you could say was also like a museum. Then it was off to tour the churches and old houses of Irkutsk. One of the highlights was stopping at a women’s monastery. It was really interesting to see all the different rituals people have and to see all the icons hanging, it was really interesting.

During the tour there was a lot of talk about Alaska, because one of the founders who founded Alaska traveled from Irkutsk, and as many of you may know, if you have taken an Alaskan History course, there was a huge fur trade from Alaska to Siberia, most commonly otter furs. The people of Irkutsk also, from what I can tell, don’t seem to happy to talk about the sale of Alaska, in my opinion they sort of wish it was still apart of Russia. Oh well!

Orientation, sort of.

My meeting at the university with Elizabeth our Residential Coordinator also went swimmingly. It was also my first time using public transportation without the help of Casey. I passed with flying colors. I mean, that is to say that I was only going for a few miles, and the number of stops I was to sit and wait, and exactly where I would be getting of had been told to me in great detail, as to make sure that nothing would or could go wrong. I still had to do it though! I arrived at the University, where I had gone, with Casey the day before. Oh yes I forgot about the day before my meeting. Okay, side tracking a bit here.

Okay, so, the day before all this public transportation junk I went to the University to sit in on all of Casey’s classes with all of my future professors. This was SO great. Our first class, or theirs rather was; Устной и письменный речи (Literally; said and written speech). The professor; Aleksandra Vladimirovna, was quite an entertaining figure, and has made me especially excited to be spending 3 hours of every week with her. She is my favorite sort of woman. She entered into the room as if walking onto a stage, reminiscent of the day when I first met my beloved Tatiana Eduardovna at Middlebury. The way she floated to the front of the room, how her eyes fell upon me with curiosity and slight disapproval (for the fact that I was in the classroom and she had never met me), she was very intriguing. Casey noticed this as well and immediately explained to her the situation. She approached me, extending her hand, intently leaning over to make my acquaintance, she was so cute. I was very intent to just sit and listen to how she ran the class, how the conversation flowed and what not. The discussion of the day was what is art? Romany, Patrick and Casey , all had to give there own interpretations of what true art was, and how one makes this decision. It was very, very interesting. Most interesting though, was watching the facial expressions of dear Aleksandra Vladimirovna. It was riveting to see her face change with approval or disagreement, the way she would open her mouth extra wide and enunciate more intensely when talking with Casey, who has a tendency to mumble in English as well as in Russian. As most Russians are, especially professors, she was at times, very opinionated. The conversation was reaching a very high level. I was scared to see what would have happened if I would have told her that I though sport was art, HA! Casey and I were talking later and I agreed with something that he said, that some people like her believe in both the great, classical masterpieces and as some of the contemporary artwork being “art,” but don’t understand that “art” can be stretched to mean other things too. Like sports. But enough of that.

After this class we moved to Russian Literature. This was an amazingly fun and exciting class. The students were reading a poem about winter and then going through each verse and then analyzing the true meaning. The teacher, Olga Vladimirovna was also ADORABLE. She has such a soft and delicate voice and her every movement is so graceful and beautiful. She has this handkerchief which she holds in her hand throughout the class and lightly dabs her nose every few minutes. Very smart as well, another teacher I am very excited to get to learn from.

After classes Casey and I took a marshrutka (little taxis/vans which are faster than busses that run on their own routes) to the train station to buy our tickets to Moscow for New Years. The train station was nothing special, I guess it was sort of interesting being in a foreign station, but once you see Penn Station, nothing compares.

Now back to the day of the meeting, and day one of public transportation, alone. I arrived at the University, found Casey and Elizabeth (again, Residential Coordinator) and we all three went into her office to have my orientation for Irkutsk a little early, since I was already there. She showed a Powerpoint on general safety in Irkutsk, stuff like; shopping at pharmacies, buying alcohol, buying meat in the markets, shopping at markets, potable and non-potable water, crossways and how in Russia they mean nothing, falling ice, which kills many people every year, oh! and CARAZY fact/story, so, the manhole covers here are not all screwed down like they are in the states because homeless people will crawl down in them to sleep because it is warmer, as Elizabeth said, “it is kind of like how the government provides welfare for the people of Irkutsk,” and even more funny was Casey’s made up slogan for Irkutsk Welfare, “Getting Irkutsk’s homeless off the streets… and in to them!” Well, what is scary and disturbing about this, was then, Elizabeth then told us stories of people whom she knows, who have fallen down into these manholes while walking and received major burns from the boiling water/steam, and she added, that there have even been cases where children have fallen down into them and been boiled to death…..horrific I know. I won’t be stepping on any manholes, don’t worry. After all the safety talk Elizabeth showed us another Powerpoint on гопники- Gopniki (the real patriots), who are sort of like a gang I guess you could say. They don’t like anyone really. They live by “street laws” and like going to jail, so they commit crimes which will get them put into jail, like beating people up, stealing, etc. From this Powerpoint, we learned all the useful tactics in order to steer clear of said gopniki and what to do in case you do experience an encounter with one or a couple.

Listvyanka

Now onto a happier subject; Casey and I took a bus to Listvyanka, the city located on the Great Lake Baikal this weekend! It was AMAZING! We left Irkutsk at 1:30 pm and arrived in Listvyanka around 3:30 pm. It is a small one road city and most of the dwelling were located up on the hill-side. It reminded me a lot of Valdez, and I know that sounds strange because Baikal is a lake, but it is so big it feels like you are on the ocean. As soon as we arrived we went to a restaurant. We had fish and chicken with tea, of course. Then we walked around a little bit, I took tons of pictures, which I will be uploading on Facebook soon. We then started looking for a place to stay for the night. We had Casey’s guide-book, and looked at a few hostels, but ended up deciding on the one hotel in the town, a surprisingly stunning, location wise, hotel for only $60.00. There was a баня (Russian sauna) and pool, breakfast was also included. We had a great view of the lake and hill-side together on the 4th floor. The hotel also had these huge lights that flashed into the lake and onto these metal sculptures, really cool. We also, later that night, walked down the to local grocery store and bought drinks and snacks. My only complaint about the night was the dog fight that decided to take place and last for, I think 4 hours right beneath our window, other than that it was great. We got up around 10 and went to breakfast. The restaurant was very beautiful, there was a Russian version of America’s funniest home videos playing, which made the mood which our nasty little waitress was carrying, disappear.

After breakfast we walked around and took more pictures until 12 which was when the marshrutka back to Irkutsk was leaving. I slept most of the way back, and we arrived in the city around 1:30 pm. We then had to take another marshrutka back to the apartment and finally arrived home at 2:30. I took a nice big nap upon arrival, and then was treated to a starchy, but filling nonetheless, meal with tea and bread.

Casey is studying for finals and kicking me off the computer . More to come.

Los ferrocarriles se construyeron en Rusia, al igual que en el resto de los reinos europeos, durante el segundo y el tercer cuarto del siglo XIX. Sin embargo, la región de Siberia quedó fuera de las rutas trazadas en esa época, ya que era una zona inhóspita, casi deshabitada y con pocos recursos, salvo las pieles, y el negocio no era tan importante como para invertir ingentes cantidades de dinero para sustituir los trineos o el transporte fluvial por el ferrocarril. Tras el descubrimiento de los grandes yacimientos minerales, el zar Alejandro III decidió impulsar la construcción de una línea férrea, emulando a los Estados Unidos de América y su ferrocarril transcontinental. Para ello empleó como mano de obra a prisioneros voluntarios, pero las condiciones eran tan duras que se pasó del voluntariado a la leva forzosa. De esta forma nació el Transiberiano

Lejos de lo que piensa la mayor parte de la gente, el Transiberiano no es un tren sino una red ferroviaria que conecta la Rusia europea con las provincias del Lejano Oriente ruso, Mongolia y China. La ruta principal fue inaugurada tras trece años de intenso y difícil trabajo, el 21 de julio de 1904. Con una extensión de 9.288 kilómetros, el tendido férreo consigue unir Moscú con la costa del Pacífico rusa, más precisamente con Vladivostok (en el mar de Japón) y cruza la mayor parte de la que fue Asia soviética. Esta vía, que atraviesa ocho husos horarios y cuyo recorrido transcurre durante casi siete días de viaje, constituye el servicio continuo más largo del mundo.

Para llevar a buen término esta ardua y complicada tarea, en una región peligrosa y llena de obstáculos, se utilizó como mano de obra a los convictos de la Isla Sajalín y otros lugares, aunque en la construcción del tendido férreo también participaron soldados rusos.

Uno de los mayores obstáculos a los que se enfrentó la traza ferroviaria fue el lago Baikal, localizado a unos 65 kilómetros al este de Irkutsk. Con 650 kilómetros de largo y entre 29 y 80 kilómetros de ancho, tiene una profundidad de 1.7 kilómetros. El agua es tan clara que se puede ver a 50 metros de profundidad. Y permanece durante cinco meses helado. Era obligado, por tanto, hacer un rodeo de miles de kilómetros para salvar esta nueva dificultad.

Para no retrasar aún más la puesta en marcha del tren hasta terminar de construir el demorado trazado de las vías en la accidentada orilla sur del lago, se decidió unir las rutas del tren interrumpidas por el Baikal atravesando sus aguas heladas en un ferry especialmente diseñado para la ocasión.

Para hacer factible la travesía, las autoridades rusas adquirieron en Inglaterra un ferry rompehielos. Construido en apenas seis meses, fue desembarcado en San Petersburgo-Leningrado, y transportado cuidadosamente, desmontado y empaquetado en secciones, a través de las 7.200 kilómetros por tierra que separaban a la ciudad del lago Baikal. El viaje fue una verdadera hazaña que tardó en culminar con éxito dos años y tres meses. Mientras se construía el trazado férreo que bordeaba el lago, el rompehielos cruzaba de un extremo al otro del Baikal transportando la locomotora y los coches de pasajeros que hacían la ruta. Los pasajeros y sus equipajes seguían viaje en trineos a través de los hielos; aunque después también fueron embarcados en la embarcación especial.

El ferry tren era capaz de avanzar de cinco a diez kilómetros por hora en invierno, abriéndose paso con cierta dificultad a través de los hielos que cubrían el Baikal. Podía llevar hasta veinticinco grandes vagones de mercancías. El sistema de transporte en el rompehielos se abandonó en cuanto se hubo completado el tramo que unía las vías del tendido ferroviario que bordeaba el lago.

El Baikal es el lago más grande, profundo y antiguo del mundo, y contiene algo más del 20% del agua dulce de toda la superficie terrestre. Es conocido por la notable transparencia y calidad de sus aguas y por la gran diversidad de plantas y animales que lo habitan (1.600 especies animales y 800 vegetales); la mayor parte de las especies que se encuentran en él son endémicas, incluidas sus focas de agua dulce, únicas en el mundo, que debieron migrar río arriba desde el mar (probablemente durante una glaciación) y han quedado aisladas (el lago se encuentra a 1.700 kilómetros del mar).

En el lago hay valiosas pesquerías de esturión, salmón y otros tipos de peces y mariscos (como la episura, una especie de gamba de reducido tamaño cuyo papel es fundamental en la cadena alimenticia, pues filtra el agua a través de su organismo). En sus proximidades hay pozos de petróleo y minerales, así como fuentes de aguas termales. Las orillas del sur están pobladas por frondosos bosques de abetos y abedules.

I am in a rather huge city at the moment, but my signs of fall as well as winter started on my trip to Большие Коты.  Leaves were yellow, no reds yet.  But it’s a sign.  The snow fall was another story.

I have to say I am glad to be back on track with this.  I still don’t have an internet connection at my homestay, but I will be doing my best to post earlier than the weekend, but that means I have to start early on photography.  I will apologize for my slacking.   Thanks for dropping a line!

Cam asa suna planul pentru saptamana asta. Joi, vineri, sambata… mai mult nu ne permite vremea, mai putin ar fi de vis. Turnu Rosu –> Zarnesti , in mai putin de 30 de ore efective de mers… aproximativ 100 de kilometri, diferenta de nivel… pff.. habar n-am.imi e frica de forestierul pana in creasta si de ploaia ce ne ameninta. Nu stiu cat de bine pregatit sunt din punct de vedere psihic…. fizic nici atat. Deja am redus rucsacul la minim si inca ma gandesc daca chiar am nevoie de toate lucrurile de aici. Si fara nimic in spate, tot greu mi se pare. Eu. Bogdan, Alex, Catalin si Costel…

Am pus pe hartie cam tot ce se putea, de la marimea rucsacului la asezarea in corturi, hartie igienica si busola.  S-au schitat in mare punctele intermediare ce trebuie atinse si s-a tot vorbit despre ture anterioare, ce sa da si ce sa nu.

Bucuresti (19.30) –> Rm Valcea  (22:33)

CFR Rm Valcea (2:50) –> CFR Turnu Rosu (5:35)

2 corturi, panite, supe, biscuiti, ceai, pate, fructe deshidratate, batoane.

inca nu m-am hotarat daca merg cu sacul meu de dormit (Millet Baikal 750) sau voi apela la unul mai gros. Se anunta temperaturi sub 0 grade, ar putea chiar sa ninga. Pelerina inca nu mi-am spalato, timp a mai ramas foarte putin. Imi e somn, e 00:42, marti. Maine plecam.

El siguiente extracto fue transcrito de una entrevista filmada con Valery Uvarov, de la Academia de Seguridad Nacional Rusa. La entrevista tuvo lugar del 2 al 8 de Febrero del 2003 en Laughlin, Nevada, USA.

Explosión de Tunguska en 1908

Tunguska nosotros sabemos que lo causo. Fue un meteoro, pero un meteoro que fue destruido por … digamos un misil. El misil fue generado en una Instalación material. Nosotros no sabemos quienes la construyeron, pero fue levantada hace mucho, mucho tiempo atrás y situada en Siberia, varios cientos de kilómetros al norte de Tunguska.

Yo le puedo decir que nuestra investigación ha revelado mas de una explosión en Tunguska. Déjeme compartir algo con usted. La ultima vez que esta instalación derribo un meteoro, fue el 24/25 de Septiembre del año pasado (2002). Los Americanos … ellos tienen tres bases … ellos también notaron esta explosión (Referencia del Editor: Ver New Science Vol 178 tema 2399 -14 de Junio 2003).

El sitio de la explosión en Tunguska. Hacia el sudeste esta el enorme y famoso Lago Baikal. Mas allá, hacia el norte, esta un gigantesco y árido territorio cubriendo 100,000 kilómetros. Difícilmente alguien viviría allá. No hay pueblos ni ciudades. Allí es donde nosotros localizamos la instalación …

Círculos Misteriosos en el lago Baikal

Los científicos especulan las causas de los círculos de hielo, pero las teorías no han sido confirmadas.

Planeta X

No puedo hablar por los astrónomos en occidente, pero los astrónomos en nuestra academia nos han dicho que no tenemos nada a que temer. He oído gente hablar acerca de un periodo de rotación de 3,600 años para este planeta, el cual esta en una orbita similar a la de la Tierra, pero atrás del sol.

Lo que nosotros sabemos es que este planeta y la Instalación en Siberia están íntimamente conectados. Déjeme decirlo que nosotros creemos que esta instalación esta manteniendo ese planeta en una orbita estable. Si ese planeta se fuera a mover, a cambiar orbita, el sistema solar todo se haría inestable. Todos nosotros en La Academia estamos seguros de que ese planeta esta habitado, y de que esta Instalación esta diseñada para protegerlos a ellos y a nosotros. Estamos seguros de que nada peligroso ocurrirá. Todo esta bajo control. Nuestras investigaciones han demostrado que la Tierra tiene un pulso, una frecuencia finamente entonada que afecta a todo, a cada criatura viviente. Unos 12,500 años atrás, este pulso correspondía a 360 días del año -estudiar el viejo calendario Egipcio- pero entonces un asteroide impactó la Tierra. Nosotros creemos que la órbita de la Tierra fue alterada artificialmente, para compensar esto. Nuestro planeta se movió alejándose del sol, a una frecuencia-pulso de 365.

Esto nos ha llevado a creer que tenemos amigos que cuidan de nosotros silenciosamente. Ellos no permitieron en ese entonces, y no permitirán ahora, a ningún planeta, cometa o asteroide, impactar y destruir la Tierra. Esto es para nosotros ahora absolutamente claro. Aquellos que desean convertir el espacio en un arsenal … para decirle la verdad, todos nosotros envueltos en este proyecto sentimos dolor en nuestros corazones.

Aquí estamos, investigando esta Instalación, y algunas otras cosas, cosas materiales, ninguna de las cuales fue construida por rusos o americanos sino por alguien más, alguien proveniente del espacio. Nos apena cuando pensamos en lo que podría ocurrir si estas armas son puestas en el espacio.

Déjeme hablarle con claridad. Esta Instalación tiene un sistema de poder, una fuente de energía. Nosotros hemos localizado esta. Fue durante el conflicto en Yugoslavia que nosotros notamos por primera vez un aumento en la emisión de esa energía. Para nosotros fue increíble, pero sabemos ahora que esta instalación reacciona frente a los disturbios y conflictos sociales. Parte de nuestra investigación envolvió la exploración de registros y archivos antiguos, y fue entonces que nos cruzamos con los textos de Echutin Apposs Alanhor (sic). Nosotros les llamamos el Alanhor y son tienen por lo menos 4,000 años de antigüedad. Estos textos describen la Instalación, en términos científicos, así como lo que se opera allí. Es increíble.

He visitado el área en dos ocasiones. La primera vez nuestros equipos detectaron fuertes niveles de radiación. Tengo que decirle que fue bastante peligroso; no podíamos escondernos de esto. Los poquísimos habitantes de la zona conocían de la Instalación, por supuesto, y ellos nos la describieron. Describieron estructuras como de metal y las dibujaron para nosotros. Pasamos todo a un mapa. Pero esta gente, sus familias, los animales, todos ellos estaban sufriendo los síntomas de exposición a radiación. Los niveles de radiación han sido constantemente monitoreados por los últimos 6 años, y ahora todos, -incluyendo a los animales- han dejado los bosques.

Le diré algo acerca de la explosión en Tunguska -algo que nunca antes se ha divulgado- dos meses antes de la explosión, cada animal vivo abandonó la región. Fue como si la Instalación se fortaleciera para lidiar con el asteroide. Con esto vino un aumento en los niveles de radiación. Lo mismo esta pasando ahora, hoy.

La radiación es un factor a considerar, pero otra expedición esta planeada para fines de este año. Mire, nosotros queremos ser abiertos y honestos acerca de esto. Damos la bienvenida a la participación internacional, pero la gente que invitemos deben ser responsables a los ojos del mundo. Queremos gente que sea honesta, de mente abierta y transparente, quienes estén deseosos y sean capaces de co-operar e intercambiar, y entonces diseminar la información científica colectada. Yo lo invito Graham, a venir a Rusia y visitar la Instalación en calidad de observador. Puede decirle a la gente que Rusia ha decidido que es el tiempo de que otra gente sepa acerca de esto, y no solamente unos pocos.

Extraído de la Revista Nexus, Volumen 10, Numero 4 (Junio-Julio 2003)PO Box 30, Mapleton Qld 4560 Australia.

Nexus Magazice

Last November we learned that the Baikalsk Pulp plant on the southern shore of Lake Baikal was shut down after 42 years of polluting the world’s most beautiful and pristine lake. We all cheered. But it was a short lived celebration. Just today I learned the plant was to start operation again. That’s the bad news. The semi-good news is that it will operated with a closed cycle pollution control system. Only problem is, such systems haven’t worked in the past. However, Vladimir Putin has declared that Baikal must be protected.

We’ll see. Best solution is to shut it down permanently. I gotta have a talk with Putin.

My article on Lake Baikal is scheduled for the November issue of Audubon Magazine. Here’s a short excerpt and a few pics.

“You know, we Siberians live in fear of being exiled to Moscow,” says Leonid Yevseyev, and we both laugh.

Yevseyev, my guide and interpreter and a native-born Siberian, is beside me on a promontory as we look out over a stunning panorama—-the mountain-rimmed lake called Baikal. We stand on Baikal’s remote northwestern shore, watching a thunderstorm hammer the Barguzin Range to the east of us. Here the land plunges a hundred feet to waters that are a vibrant blue-green, so transparent that rocks ten feet beneath the surface are clearly visible in the glaring sun. Bordering the meadow around us is a dense forest of pine and larch, spreading a resinous fragrance. Exiled to Moscow? Leonid and I agree: only if they take us away from here at gunpoint.

Rob, top five musical crimes perpetuated by Stevie Wonder in the ’80s and ’90s. Go. Sub-question: is it in fact unfair to criticize a formerly great artist for his latter day sins, is it better to burn out or fade away?

Everybody loves lists.  I can name my top five albums during my undergrad years on command (Yoshimi, Alien Lanes, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, My Aim is True, Washing Machine).  They can expose a person’s film snobbery or simply summarize things to do for a weekend.  Best yet, lists generate passionate debate on topics of great interest.  Historians have compiled numerous lists of the best American presidents.  Best soccer rivalries in the world?  Good luck sorting that out, hooligans.

Perhaps one of the most famous lists was compiled by Philo of Byzantium, the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  Only the Pyramids still remain but the list continues to fascinate, so much so that an organization conducted “the largest poll on record” to compile a new list of seven wonders.  The New7Wonders Foundation undertook a project that ultimately lead to over 100 million votes from over 220 countries, resulting in the New 7 Wonders of the World.

With such success, the New7Wonders Foundation has embarked on a quest to compile another list, the New7Wonders of Nature.  Over 400 natural wonders were pared down to 77 nominees.  A panel of experts recommended 28 as finalists based on unique beauty, diversity and distribution, ecological significance, historical significance, and geo-location (equal worldwide representation).  The final New7Wonders of Nature will be announced in 2011.

Any list, by its very nature, overestimates some and slights countless others.  Here is my list of notable exclusions from the 28 finalists.

Mount Everest – The world’s highest mountain is perhaps the most glaring exemption from the finalists.  It was an initial nominee but did not make the cut of 77.  Other far less impressive mountains made it further than Everest, such as Table Mountain in South Africa, Mount Vesuvius, and Mount Olympus.  Most perplexing is the inclusion of Matterhorn on list of 28 finalists, likely included to compensate for the lack of European options.  Perhaps an attraction at Disneyland would have enhanced Everest’s chances.  One other explanation may involve so-called Official Supporting Committees.  These are necessary in the competition for sites to be considered a finalist.  China may have wanted to avoid the Tibet issue and discouraged any OSCs while political instability in Nepal could have lead to lack of involvement.

Victoria Falls – The largest sheet of falling water in the world and claimed to be largest waterfall in world, The Smoke that Thunders was an initial nominee but failed to be amongst the list of 77.  Mosi-oa-Tunya, the Falls’ indigenous name, had been included on a previous list compiled by CNN.

Okavango Delta – The Okavango Delta in Botswana is the world’s largest inland delta.  The Delta is subject to seasonal flooding as over 90 million liters of water flow into the delta, swallowing islands whole that only re-emerge at the end of season in an immense process of evaporation.  The waters attract a wealth of wildife that is outstanding even in Africa.  All this seems to be sufficient for the panel’s criteria but the Okavango Delta did not even make it to the list of 77.

Sahara Desert – Sahara is the world’s largest hot desert and almost equals the United States in size.  The Siwa Oasis in Egypt was a nominee and its description connected it to the Sahara, providing one explanation as to why this wonder was left out in the cold.

Serengeti – This ecosystem, covering parts of Tanzania and Kenya, hosts a semi-annual overland migration, the largest and longest in the world.  Tsetse flies discourage human settlement, resulting in an extremely diverse range of species.  The Ngorongoro Crater, located within the Serengeti, likely stole its nomination.

Lake Baikal – This is a lake of superlatives:  the deepest, largest (by volume), and oldest.  The Russian lake was prevented a spot amongst the 77 nominees by less deserving sites in Eastern Europe.

Yellowstone National Park – Americans treasure their national park system and Yellowstone was the first in the world.  It was an initial nominee but the Grand Canyon stole its thunder.

Gunung Mulu National Park – An immense cave system in Malaysian Borneo that includes the largest known natural chamber that reputedly could house St. Peter’s Basilica.

Pantanal – The Amazon overshadows its South American brother to the south but the Pantanal is the world’s largest wetlands, covering Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay.  This area is home to fantastic fauna, such as the capybara and one of the largest jaguar populations in the world.  Like many environmental wonders of the world, the Pantanal is threatened by various human activities.  National Geographic had a wonderful feature on the issues the Pantanal faces in the May 2005 issue.

Antarctica – The coldest, driest, and windiest continent is an odd choice for a natural wonder.  However, scientists are able to conduct experiments here that are not reproducible anywhere else in the world.  The most important of these concern human activity and its impact on the Earth.  The landmark NASA discovery of ozone depletion brought atmospheric degradation, and thus climate change, to the forefront of international relations.

Those, unfortunately, won’t be on the list come 2011.  So, top seven natural wonders based on a flawed nomination process promoted by a Swiss foundation?  Here’s my list based on the 28 finalists.

Amazon – The lungs of the world comprises over half of the remaining rain forests, obviously making it the world’s largest rain forest.  Hardened men such as the conquistadors were even frightened by the Dark Hell.  One thing certain to frighten mankind today is the prospect of the Amazon slipping irreversibly past a tipping point, leading to unimaginable consequences.   The absence of the Amazon on the New7Wonders of Nature list would be equivalent to the Great Pyramid of Giza not making the New7Wonders of the World list of 2007.  Wait, that actually did happen.

Galápagos Islands – The best seven days of my life so far were spent aboard a boat cruising the Galápagos.  The unreal landscapes and variety and courage of the wildlife are remarkable.  We all know the story of the HMS Beagle and Charles Darwin.  The Islands face a host of threats:  exploding tourism, overpopulation, illegal fishing, and the introduction of alien species such as cats, goats, and avocado.

Great Barrier Reef – It can be seen from space and is the largest structure created by living organisms.  Reason enough.

Grand Canyon – It is a beautiful wonder but another wonder included in the slights above would have knocked it off my ballot.  It’s a token candidate likely to be included in the 2011 final list.

Mount Kilimanjaro – There certainly could have been other mountains on this list instead of Kilimanjaro but it is the world’s highest free-standing mountain.  I see it as a symbol of the effects of climate change, as Hemingway’s fabled Snows of Kilimanjaro possibly will be gone forever in a matter of decades.

Dead Sea – It’s an underwhelming pick when compared to other wonders that didn’t even make the finals.  However, it has its quirks as the lowest elevation of dry land and its high salinity.  Egyptian mummies and cosmetics credit the Dead Sea for its source of minerals.  I love photographs of buoyant tourists reading newspapers while bathing.  One of the main reasons I’ve included it is to maintain geographic balance in my list.

Sundarbans – The more and more I read about the Sundarbans the more I realize it is an underrated natural wonder.  I hadn’t even known about it until researching for this article but, then again, my knowledge of the Indian subcontinent is practically nil.  It is the largest mangrove forest in the world and is blessed by the holy Ganges River.  The legendary and threatened Royal Bengal Tiger roams the Sundarbans.  The forest also serves as a flood barrier for crowded Kolkata.

Now that I’ve opened myself up to criticism, what is your top seven natural wonders of the world (based on the 28 finalists)?  Post in the comments if you feel so inclined.

Just yesterday I came back from Siberia. My friends invited me to Baikal.
At last my dream came true.
The best thing for me is that i had an opportunity to chat with my friends.
It’s great!
Of course we have shared and with new receipts.
Now I know a new receipt of fish preparation. It’s very easy, but the fish is delicious.
Fresh fish we clean from scales and insides, rub with salt and pour with lime juice.
Leave it for a half an hour.
The main secret is the bonfire.
We cook fish on coal.
Cut the big fish for pieces and press the fish by grate.
It is almost like grill.
For time to time we overwind the fish.
It can be served without any source or garnish.
The best fish for that receipt is omul.

Immersion du bathyscaphe habité Mir-1.

Les bathyscaphes russes sillonnent le Lac Baïkal, à la recherche de trésors perdus…. L’expédition Mir dans le Baïkal a été lancée l’année dernière. Situé dans le sud de la Sibérie, le lac Baïkal, long de 636 km, contient 23.600 kilomètres cubes d’eau douce, soit 20% des réserves d’eau douce de la planète et est inscrit au patrimoine mondial naturel de l’Unesco.

Au cours de l’été, les bathyscaphes russes Mir-1 et Mir-2 ont fait une immersion dans la zone la plus profonde près de l’île d’Olkhon (1.600 mètres). L’année dernière, les bathyscaphes ont recherché au fond du Baïkal les stocks d’or de l’Empire russe prétendument coulés lors de la guerre civile russe (1917-1920) par l’amiral “blanc” Alexandre Koltchak, mais n’ont trouvé qu’une caisse contenant de vieilles cartouches…

Si l’on en croit cette photo, le tableau de bord des MIR a moins de boutons que dans les séries de science fiction… mais apparemment, il n’y a pas besoin de ça pour avoir des résultats…

Géant non ? on se croirait dans Tintin !!!

These are a selection of photos taken on a two day trip to Lake Baikal in Siberia.

This is the deepest fresh water lake in the world for those who don’t know.  It contains more water than all the great lakes in the US and it also the cleanest lake in the world.  Many efforts are being made to preserve the lake especially trying to reduce the effects of global warming which harm the unique species living in this Ecosystem.